Decorative material and method for making same



March 1934- L. w. F. CARSTEIN 1,952,310

DECORATIVE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME Filed July 29, 1929 q n f 35 AT RNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECORATIVE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME 18 Claims.

This invention relates to material for making ornamental window panes, imitation stained glass, and decorative display devices such as signs and screens and the like articles, and methods of producing the same.

An object of this invention is to provide a highly decorative device simulating stained glass and adapted to give highly artistic optical effects.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method for producing devices of the character described which may be carried out in a simple and relatively inexpensive manner.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an ornamental, neat and compact de- .'vice of the character described which may be executed in a wide variety of designs and colors and which may be produced in a practical and exceedingly simple and cheap manner.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. l is a top plan view of a piece of material or device made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an exaggerated cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. l and illustrating an intermediate step in the process of making the device;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of another form of the device made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating the construction of a finished article.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein is shown a piece of material made in accordance with the invention. It will be understood, however, that the piece shown is merely illustrative and that the invention lends itself to an embodiment in many forms such as ornamental window panes, in imitation for instance of stained glass, display devices, signs,

screens, and the like articles and purposes.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates an ornamental device or piece of material embodying the invention here seen to comprise a pair of plates 11 and 12 made of glass or the like transparent material and a layer of crinkly or stippled material 14 interposed therebetween. The sheet or layer 14, described in greater detail hereinafter, may be made in any desired design and combination of colors, as illustrated in Fig. 1 for example, showing a girls head and background executed in a variety of harmonious colors.

The device 10, produced in a manner now to be described, simulates stained glass and is adapted to give artistic and highly attractive visual effects. On the upper surface of the plate 11 which may be set on any suitable horizontal base or table, is applied a layer of translucent adhesive material such as varnish 15 or like material. A pliable translucent base member 16 which preferably consists of a sheet of textile fabric such as china silk is applied on the adhesive layer 15. This layer 15, for the purpose of illustration only, is green in color and is formed with an inner cut out portion having the outline or contour of a girls head, thus forming a background therefor. For producing an orange colored coiifure, for instance, a piece of textile fabric such as china silk 17 having the contour of the coiffure is placed on the adhesive layer 15 in proper position so as to conform to the inner edge 18 of the cut-out portion of the layer 16. A piece of green silk 20 may be placed in proper position to simulate the inside of an earring anda piece 21 simulating part of the earring. Strips of brown or purple silk 24 may be placed in proper position within the cut-out portion for simulating brows and eyelashes. A piece of blue silk 25 may be placed in proper position to designate the eyeball. A red piece of silk 26 may be placed on the layer 15 in proper position to indicate the lips and nostrils. Over all of said above mentioned layers of silk may be applied a second layer 27 in the form of a coating of varnish or like material. Thissecond layer of varnish acts as a suitable filler for saturating the porous silk. Additional layers of silk 28 of orange color may be superimposed on layers 1'7 by applying the same onto the filler layer 27 to represent darker portions of the hair. Another layer 29 of varnish may be applied over second layer 28 of the silk to saturate the same.

The structure thus far described may then be permitted to dry at room temperature. The filler layers of varnish 2'7 and 29 soak through the silk, and when dried, fill the interstices between the threads and coat the silk. The coated silk thus formed is substantially smooth and is retained evenly on the glass plate. The colors of the silk noted above are for the purpose of illustration only, it being understood that any suitable design or legend in any suitable colors may be executed in the same manner, is merely being necessary to apply the layers of silk either side by side or superimposed with the suitable coatings of varnish or like material as described.

To produce a crinkly or rippled surface, a layer of suitable varnish, preferably one requiring baking for drying, may thereafter be applied over the top surface of the coated silks, and the plate 11 and coated silks then subjected to heat for accelerating the drying by baking. The outermost layer of varnish is thereby caused to shrivel and forms a layer having an irregular corrugated surface 140. with turning and winding ridges and furrows which produce a pleasing ripple, visible from both sides of the device.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the ridges or furrows provide a great number of small spaces 35 between the crinkled layer 1 1 and the plate 11. Also a number of furrowed spaces 36 are produced on the upper surface of said crinkled layer 14. If desired, a stippled eifect may be produced by applying another layer of varnish to the baked product and again baking the same to cause a further drawing in or shriveling on the layer 14. A thin layer of film of diffusing material (not shown) such as white paint may be applied over the finished baked product to produce a screen for causing a uniform intensity of light topass through the sheet material, thus eliminating undesirable streaking or glaring spotted effects.

After the layer 14 has been finally baked and dried, the plates 12 may be placed thereover and pressed down thereon, the pressure applied acting to squeeze out the air from the furrowed spaces 36. A vacuum is thus produced between the inner surface of said plate 12 and the layer 14 which has been found to sufiiciently retain the plates together by atmospheric pressure. If desired, a suitable translucent adhesive substance may be applied to the layer 14 for retaining plates 11 and 12 together. The design and colored crinkled layer 14 being interposed between the layers of glass produce highly artistic visual effects simulating stained glass.

For producin a more effective vacuum between the plate 12 and the rippling layer 14, the display device may be placed in a vacuum tank in a horizontal position. Upon exhausting the air from the tank, substantially all of the air between the plate 12 and the layer 14 is removed. Upon opening the tank to the atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure produced serves to permanently clamp the two plates together.

Obviously, however, material for making decorative devices such as window panes and the like may be provided by use of only a single transparent plate on one surface of which the crinkled layer 14 is applied, such devices likewise simulating stained glass and producing highly ornamental optical effects.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a display device in three design layers of yellow, blue and orange colors. The respective strips 30, 31, and 32 of colored silks are superimposed over a first layer 33 of lacquer, a second layer 34 of lacquer is applied on top of the silks, and the baking process then carried out as described above.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understooc that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. A device of the character described comprising a transparent plate and a layer of translucent colored mate aon said plate, said layer comprising a wrinkled fabric base saturated with an adhesive substance capable of wrinkling upon baking.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of transparent plates and a layer of wrinkled translucent colored material nterposed between said plates, said layer comprising a fabric base saturated with a wrinkling varnish substance.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair of transparent plates and a layer of translucent colored material interposed between said plates, said layer comprising a fabric base saturated with a substance capable of crinkling upon baking.

4. A device of the character described comprising a transparent member and a layer of variously colored crinkled material producing a design on said member, said material having a backing of a plurality of pieces of fabric of various colors.

5. A material comprising a pair of glass plates and a crinkled material including a wrinkling substance interposed between said plates.

6. A material comprising a pair of flat plates of transparent material and a layer of crinkled material interposed between said plates.

'7. A material of the character described, comprising a pair of fiat plates of transparent material and a layer of crinkled material interposed between said plates, said crinkled layer having a base of textile material.

8. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of transparent members and a layer of variously colored crinkled material including a substance capable of crinkling upon baking producing a design interposed between said members.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of members and a layer of vari-' cusly colored crinkled material producing a design interposed between said members, said material having a backing comprising a plurality of pieces of fabric of various colors.

16. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of transparent members and a layer of variously colored crinkled material producing a design interposed between said members, said material having a backing of fabric of various colors, a plurality of said fabrics being superimposed.

11. The process of making devices of the character described consisting in applying a layer of adhesive material to a transparent plate, applying a fabric to said adhesive, coating said fabric with a translucent filler and then baking the same to form a crinkly layer on said plate.

12. The process of making material imitating stained glass consisting in applying a layer of varnish to a transparent plate, applying a fabric to said varnish, coating said fabric with a translucent filler and then baking same to form a crinkly layer on said plate.

13. The process of making display devices such as signs consisting in applying a layer of adhesive material to a transparent plate, applying a colored fabric to said adhesive and coating said fabric with a translucent filler, permitting said filler to dry at ordinary temperature, then applying a coating of translucent, non-vitreous material requiring baking to dry, and applying heat to accelerate the drying and cause shriveling to form a crinkly layer.

14. The process of making display devices consisting in applying a layer of, adhesive material to a transparent plate, applying a colored fabric to said adhesive and coating said fabric with a translucent filler, permitting said filler to dry at ordinary temperature, then applying a coating of translucent, non-vitreous material requiring baking to dry, applying heat to accelerate the drying and cause shriveling to form a crinkly layer, and superimposing a second transparent plate to the free surface of the crinkly layer.

15. The process of making display devices consisting in applying a layer of adhesive material to a transparent plate, applying a colored fabric to said adhesive and coating said fabric with a translucent filler, permitting said filler to dry at ordinary temperature, then applying a coating of translucent, non-vitreous material requiring baking to dry, applying heat to accelerate the drying and cause shriveling to form a crinkly layer, superimposing a second transparent plate to the free surface of the crinkly layer, and extracting air from the pockets formed between the crinkly layer and said second plate.

16. The process of making material imitating stained glass consisting in applying a piece of textile material saturated with a wrinkling varnish to a transparent plate and baking the same to produce a crinkled layer on said plate.

17. The process of making material imitating stained glass consisting in saturating a colored fabric with a translucent, non-vitreous filler applied to one face of a transparent plate and then baking the same to produce a crinkled layer on said plate.

18. The process of making decorative material consisting in saturating a sheet of pliant absorbent material with a substance capable of wrinkling upon heating at elevated temperatures, applying said sheet to a sheet of transparent material and heating said saturated sheet to produce a wrinkled surface on said transparent sheet.

LORENZ W. F. CARSTEIN. 

